Know You Have A Very Legal Right To Your Medical Records

HIPAA stands for The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It establishes your rights to receive copies of your medical records and establishes rules of privacy.

I keep a copy of all my medical tests and reports in my home files.

This is good for several reasons:

I can compare the reports to previous ones to determine trends;

I can forward to another doctor if need be;

I like to read them myself;

Don’t want the doctor to just tell me the report is “normal” – I want to know exactly how I am doing so I can correct anything that is needed before it becomes a problem. “Normal” is a big word...is it high normal or low normal? Is it normal “for your age” which I don’t usually accept.

The doctor’s office must release to you your reports. I receive mine either by fax or mail.

Most of us believe that our medical and other health information is private and should be protected, and we want to know who has this information. The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect your medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically.

The Privacy Rule, a Federal law, gives you rights over your health information and sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your health information. The Privacy Rule applies to all forms of individuals' protected health information, whether electronic, written, or oral. The Security Rule is a Federal law that requires security for health information in electronic form.